Separating apparatus for roller feed



United States Patent [54] SEPARATING APPARATUS FOR ROLLER FEED 6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

83/228, 83/251, 226/154 [51] Int. Cl 826d 5/22 [50] Field ofSearch 83/228,

(56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 517,171 3/1894 Saltzkorn et al. 8 3/228 Primary ExaminerJames M. Meister Att0rneyCecily L. Frey ABSTRACT: Apparatus for separating the rollers of material feed means in an automatic press and the like, selectively manually and mechanically, the press having a ram reciprocable in a direction toward and away from the rollers, and a control member reciprocating in cooperation with the ram; comprising a roller housing pivoted at its comer to the machine frame, a roller in the housing and another roller in the machine frame, in frictional engagement with each other, means for pressing the rollers toward eachother; and an operating lever assembly having an engaging portion adapted to be selectively cleared and contacted by the control member in cooperation with the press ram; whereby the pressing means is deactivated and the rollers are moved out of the frie tional engagement when the control member acts upon the engaging portion during the movement of the ram toward the rollers.

Patented Sept. 29, 1970 Sheet FIG.1

PRIOR ART R I. 4 M m V N n a S I.

Sheet INVENTOR. [5a a u ['MQL sum INVENTOR. ama 44 z SEPARATING APPARATUS FOR ROLLER FEED This invention provides an apparatus for separating the rollers of roller feed mechanisms, mainly to be used for small presses. I V

The roller separating operation is carried out in conventional presses either manually or mechanically. The case of manual operation is when material is fed into and removed from a roller-type feed mechanism wherein, in order to enable one-man operation, means are provided so that the rollers can be fixed in their separated positions. The case of mechanical separation is when either the upper or the lower roller is separated from the material in order to adjust one feed length of material by using a pilot punch, this case being the so-called releasing.

The components for manual and mechanical separation were heretofore separately provided, causing often troubles of misoperation in that the respective operating levers were mixed up, and therefore it is generally considered a complicated operation. a

It is the main object of this invention to avoid the afore-explained disadvantages and to provide an apparatus which comprises in one unit the components for mechanical as well as manual separation of the rollers.

According to one of the main features of the invention, a mechanism is provided which has means for both mechanical activation (e.g. by a control member attached to the press ram) and manual operation (e.g. by a hand lever). Both activating elements are part of a lever assembly which is pivoted to a roller housing, itself pivoted to a stationary machineframe portion.

The driving roller may be journaled in the machine frame while the driven roller is pivotablc together with the housing in which it is mounted. The rollers are in frictional engagement with each other, and means are provided for pressing the roll ers toward each other. Either mechanical or manual operation will deactivate the pressing means and move the rollers out ofthe frictional engagement.

Other important features of the invention relate to the provision of an abutment on the housing and a segment on a push rod movable within a lever which is part of the aforementioned lever assembly, for temporarily immobilizing the same with the rollers apart, if necessary.

A linkage may be provided for connecting the lever with a similar lever of another assembly. for simultaneous operation (ag. on both sides ofa press).

The various objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of a preferred. exemplary embodiment, when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. wherein:

FIG. 1 is a somewhat schematic, partial frontal view of a conventional press showing conventional roller-type feed means;

FIG. 2 is a frontal view of an exemplary embodiment of a roller separating apparatus according to the invention, to be incorporated in and used in conjunction with a press like the one shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus, taken along line Il|-lll of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2 but with the rollers separated.

The roller-feed mechanism of conventional presses will be explained with reference to FIG. 1. A small press is shown, as a matter of example, which is provided with rightand lefthand roller assemblies R and R: to feed a material M toward the right-hand side of the press, as viewed in the drawing, and shown by an arrow, over a bottom die 5 which is adapted to mate with an upper punch 3 fixed to a reciprocable ram 1. The roller-feed mechanism intermittently operates with pairs of driving and driven rollers. namely 11'. 13' for R, and 15. 17' for R. respectively. Appropriate pressure is applied from above, by conventional means, to the respective driven rollers 13' and 17', as indicated by the arrows designated P.

1n the following, the roller separating apparatus according to the invention will be described on the basis of FIGS. 2 to 4, to be incorporated in and used in conjunction with a press and the like machine such as shown, for example, in FIG. 1.

A corner 19 of a roller housing 18 is pivoted at a position indicated as 23 to a roller casing 21 which forms part of a machine body or frame (not shown in full detail). The housing 18 supports both ends of a shaft 14 of an inventive driven roller 13 which mates with a driving roller 11 (these elements are similar in their function to the rollers 13 and 11', respectively, described with reference to FIG. 1). The material M passes between the rollers 11, 13 and the respective structures 21, 18, in a manner similar to that shown in FIG. 1. At the other side of the housing 18, a recessed hole is provided to contain a spring 20 wherein, the spring being held under an appropriate compressive pressure between a seat 29 fixed to a the housing 18and a washer-of a nut 27 screwed on the top end ofa bolt 25 which is screwed in the casing 21 at a position 1 indicated as 24.

The compressive pressure tends to rotate the housing 18 about the pivot 23, and accordingly presses down the driven roller 13 against the driving roller 11 by way of the shaft 14. An operating lever assembly 31 is pivoted at its bottom end to the housing 18 by a pin 33. A roller 36 is rotatably mounted by means ofa pin 35 in the neighborhood of the pin 33.

At the stage shown in FIG. 2, the roller 36 is positioned with a slight clearance e between its periphery and a flat seat 38 mounted on the casing 21. When the assembly 31 is turned in the clockwise sense about the pin 33, the roller 36 engages the seat 38 and then, rotating along the surface of the seat, lifts the housing 18, which in turn separates the rollers 13, 11.

An engaging roller 37 is rotatably mounted on an upper part of the assembly 31. The roller 37, when engaged with a block or control member 39 which moves in cooperation with the ram 1 (the block 39 being omitted from FIG. 1 while the ram 1 has not been shown in FIGS. 2 and 4), is pressed diagonally from above or from the side whenever the ram 1 descends. A push rod 45 is slidably mounted in a lever 43 which is fixed at its boss 42 to a tubular part 41 of the assembly 31. An engaging segment 47 is provided on top of the push rod 45, the segment 47 being vertically slidable in an opening 49 provided at the middle of the tubular part 41.

Another small rod 51 is slidably mounted in a hole 57 of the part 41, the rod 51 being screwed to the segment 47 at its one end 53 and supported by a spring 55 at its other end. The segment 47 has a projecting part 48 protruding from the part 41, the projecting part 48 being engaged by a stopper or abutment 50 provided on the wall of the housing 18 when the assembly 31 is sufficiently turned clockwise about the pin 33 and the segment 47 is pushed down by the rod 45 to its lower position.

Referring in particular to FIGS. 2 and 4, the essential function of the inventive apparatus shall now be explained in more detail. Firstly, the case of mechanical separation will be described. At the stage shown in FIG. 2, where the engaging block member 39 is at a position above the engaging roller 37, the force of the spring 20 presses down the driven roller 13 against the driving roller 11 by way of the roller housing 18 and the shaft 14, thus giving the necessary pressure for feeding the material M.

When the block 39 contacts the roller 37 and further descends in cooperation with the movement of the press ram 1, the assembly 31 is turned clockwise about the pin 33 by the external force from the block 39, and the roller 36 comes in contact with the seat 38 and lifts the roller housing-18 upward, thereby creating a clearance between the driving roller 11 and the driven roller 13, which results in the stage shown in FIG. 4 where the mechanical separation is shown realized.

When the block 39 rises in cooperation with the ascent of the ram 1 to a position above the roller 37, the housing 18 descends by the force of the spring 20 and by gravity, and the roller 36 is allowed to move back, thus bringing all components back to the stage shown in FIG. 2, ready to feed the material M. The above function is repeated to complete mechanical separation.

When separating manually, the lever 43 at the stage shown in H6. 2 is pulled in right-hand direction, rotating the assembly 31 around the pin 33, and also rotating the roller housing 18 clockwise, as shown in FIG. 4, about the pivot 23, through the seat 38, the roller 36 and the pin 33, thus separating the rollers 13, 11. At this stage, the rod 45 is pushed downward, bringing the projecting part 48 of the segment 47 to a position by the side of the abutment 50.

Under these conditions, if the lever 43 is released from being pulled to the right-hand direction, the operating lever assembly 31, being constantly under the pressure of the spring 20 towards the left, stays at its position, even if the lever 43 is let go, thus manual separation of the rollers is realized. When releasing the above engaged situation, pressure is exerted on the lever 43 to the right, bringing the projecting part 48 and the abutment 50 to the position shown in FIG. 3, by means of the spring 55, and thus the engagement is easily released.

The foregoing disclosure relates only to a preferred, exemplary embodiment of the inventive apparatus, which is intended to include all changes and modifications, as well as additions to the example described, which are within the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

It will be understood, for example, that the inventive roller assembly may be used with the press shown in FIG. 1 in lieu of the right-hand assembly R, thereof. A left-hand assembly may be used instead, or simultaneously therewith, and the same structural and operational details will of course apply.

Means may be provided to operate manual separation simultaneously for both assemblies, e.g. by a linkage or other conventional mechanism interconnecting the levers 43, for movement in opposite (outwardly) directions.

The invention gives the advantage that the components required for mechanical and for manual separation of the roller pairs are contained in a single unit, simplifying the mechanism as well as its operation, and misoperation can be completely avoided thereby.

lclaim:

1. An apparatus for separating the rollers of material feed means, selectively manually and mechanically, in an automatic press and the like having a ram reciprocable in a direction toward and away from said rollers, the apparatus comprising: a roller housing pivoted substantially at its corner to a portion of a stationary machine frame; a rotatably mounted driven roller in said housing and pivotable therewith; a rotatably mounted driving roller supported in said machine frame in frictional engagement with said driven roller when said housing is in its rest position; means for pressing said rollers toward each other; and an operating lever assembly pivoted to said housing and having a protruding engaging portion adapted to be selectively contacted and cleared by a control member reciprocating in cooperation with said press ram; whereby said pressing means is deactivated and said rollers are moved out of said frictional engagement when said control member acts upon said engaging portion during the movement of said ram toward said rollers, wherein said assembly is pivoted to said housing at a point remote from said corner where said housing is pivoted to said machine frame, the latter having thereon a seat member in contact with a roller pivotally mounted on said assembly adjacent to said pivoting point between said assembly and said housing.

2. An apparatus for separating the rollers of material feed means, selectively manually and mechanically, in an automatic press and the like having a ram reciprocable in a direction toward and away from said rollers, the apparatus comprising: a roller housing pivoted substantially at itscorner to a portion of a stationary machine frame; a rotatably mounted driven roller in said housing and pivotable therewith; a rotatably mounted driving roller supported in said machine frame in frictional engagement with said driven roller when said housing is in its rest position; means for pressing said rollers toward each other; and an operating lever assembly pivoted to said housing and having a protruding engaging portion adapted to be selectively contacted and cleared by a control member reciprocating in cooperation with said press ram; whereby said pressing means is deactivated and said rollers are moved out of said frictional engagement when said control member acts upon said engaging portion during the movement of said ram toward said rollers, wherein said assembly includes a tubular portion, a lever attached to said tubular portion and having therein a reciprocable push rod, said housing having thereon an abutment engageable by a segment on said push rod when the latter is moved into said lever in the pivoted position of said assembly for temporarily immobilizing the same with said rollers moved out of said frictional engagement,

3. The roller separating apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein said tubular portion has an opening allowing vertical movement of said segment.

4. The roller, separating apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein said assembly further includes rod means attached to said segment and biasing means for urging said segment and said push rod in a direction out of said lever.

5. The roller separating apparatus as defined in claim 4, further comprising means for connecting said lever to another assembly to be operated simultaneously therewith.

6. The roller separating apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein said connecting means includes a linkage for manually operating said lever together with another lever of said other assembly, which has to be moved in an opposite direction. 

